Blueberry‘s Mirror

Old Wang's life after retirement was like a gentle pastoral poem. He tended to flowers and plants every day and played with his granddaughter. His life was uneventful. Until that day, he saw the alluring blueberry advertisement online – "Freshly picked, plump, eight boxes for only XX yuan."

Old Wang's heart, like a calm lake struck by a pebble, rippled. He thought of his granddaughter Tiantian's sweet smile; she loved blueberries the most. So, he tremblingly clicked the "Buy" button, as if opening a treasure box leading to sweetness.

Three days later, the package arrived. Old Wang eagerly opened the layers of packaging. Eight exquisite blue boxes, like eight deep stars, lay quietly there. He carefully opened the first box, but his heart sank – there were only… three blueberries inside.

Like a gambler tricked by fate, he unwillingly opened the second, third… until the eighth box. Eight boxes, a total of twenty-seven blueberries, like twenty-seven mocking eyes, stared at him coldly.

Old Wang felt like a fool, an outdated clown tricked by modern commercial magic. He called the seller. The person on the other end first pretended to apologize, and then quickly switched to an "it's not my problem" attitude: "It might have been damaged during transportation, dear."

"Damaged?" Old Wang's voice trembled slightly, "Twenty-seven blueberries, you call this damage? This is fraud!"

The other end of the phone was silent for a moment, and then a mechanical voice came: "Sorry, dear, we have tried our best."

Old Wang hung up the phone dejectedly. He felt like he had been thrown into a huge maze, surrounded by cold walls, with no exit. He looked at the eight empty boxes. They were no longer stars, but eight mirrors, reflecting the absurdity and indifference of this era.

He suddenly remembered a sentence by Borges: "Mirrors and copulation are abominable, because they increase the number of men." In this era full of virtuality and fraud, the blueberry box has also become a mirror. It not only replicates emptiness but also magnifies human greed.

Old Wang silently put the blueberry boxes away. He didn't tell his granddaughter about it. He didn't want to taint the child's pure world with this layer of dust. He just silently planted a seed in his heart, a seed about honesty and trust. He knew that this seed might never sprout, but at least he had tried.

That night, Old Wang had a dream. He dreamed that he walked into a blueberry garden. Each blueberry was like a crystal clear gem, shining with an attractive light. He picked one and put it in his mouth, but tasted a bitter taste, like tears mixed with lies and disappointment. He woke up in shock and found his pillow wet.

The next day, Old Wang still tended to the flowers and played with his granddaughter. It's just that he will never buy blueberries online again. He would rather go to the market and personally select fruits that may not be so perfect, but at least are authentic and trustworthy. Because he understands that in this world where it is difficult to distinguish between true and false, authenticity is the most precious luxury.